Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Xiao Che held Jin Bao while ten Shadow Guards protected them inside the cave.
In her mind, Jin Bao could clearly see the tiger only a few dozen meters away.
The shadowy pines blocked their view. The Shadow Guards could not see what was happening outside and dared not leave the cave rashly.
The Snow Mastiffs barked furiously in one direction.
“Ye Ba, protect the Valley Master and the Young Miss. I’ll face this tiger. We can’t let it eat the Snow Mastiffs.”
The Snow Mastiffs were their primary means of transportation through the forest. Losing even one would be a serious blow.
Ye Ba gave a quiet acknowledgment and watched Ye Qi disappear swiftly through the cave entrance with his sword in hand.
Jin Bao kept staring into empty space, though in reality she was monitoring the distance between Ye Qi and the tiger in her mind.
Ye Qi had just passed through a stretch of pine forest when he encountered the tiger head-on.
The tiger seemed crazed with hunger. The instant it spotted prey, it lunged at Ye Qi without hesitation.
Ye Qi was highly skilled. Sword in hand, he tapped a toe against a nearby pine and instantly darted a zhang away.
Jin Bao quietly released the breath she had been holding.
But when the tiger pounced at Ye Qi again, Jin Bao began using her power.
She drove several vines coiled around the pines to attack the tiger.
The tiger was startled by the vines that suddenly wrapped around it.
It immediately abandoned its attack on Ye Qi and turned to flee deeper into the forest. But no matter how fast it ran, it could not outrun Jin Bao’s power.
The vines first bound its four limbs and toppled it into the snow. Once it could no longer stand, they slowly wound around its body and hoisted the entire tiger into the air.
“Daddy, Baby has already hung the big tiger up! Let’s hurry and catch it.”
Xiao Che remembered that this was exactly how Jin Bao had dealt with Lu Dachang’s soldiers in the forest.
Without hesitation, he immediately led the others into the woods.
Dense vines covered the ground, extending far into the distance.
At the end of those vines hung a tiger.
Suspended in the air, the tiger could not put its brute strength to use.
“Ye Qi, kill it.”
Unless they eliminated this tiger, the wild cattle would keep migrating.
Xiao Che glanced at the tiger, then carried Jin Bao back to the cave.
He did not want her to witness such a bloody scene.
Before long, several Shadow Guards returned carrying the tiger.
Every part of a tiger was valuable. Aside from its hide, the meat could be dried, while the remaining parts could be given to Lu Shuangshuang for medicinal use.
Therefore, Xiao Che did not have Ye Qi butcher the tiger for the time being. Instead, they would drag the whole carcass home and deal with it there.
As faint light appeared in the sky, the cattle-finding party set out again.
After traveling for half the morning, they finally found a herd grazing on withered grass beside a stream in a valley.
“Daddy, we found them! So many moo-moos!”
Held in Xiao Che’s arms, Jin Bao stood on the slope and looked down, taking in the entire scene below.
Several spotted deer stood beside the herd, but cattle were their main objective this time, so they let the deer go for now.
Xiao Che made a rough count. There were more than thirty cattle, large and small.
He still remembered Old Han saying that to tame a herd, they first had to identify its leader.
Once the lead bull was tamed, the younger cattle would follow them away.
The problem was, how could they identify the leader among so many cattle?
“Daughter, can you tell which one is the lead bull?”
“Daddy, what’s a lead bull?”
Jin Bao did not understand. Weren’t they all cattle?
Xiao Che patiently explained, “It’s the leader of the herd, the one every other animal obeys. That one is the lead bull. As long as we subdue it, we can drive the rest home.”
Jin Bao understood. After observing carefully for a long while, she suddenly pointed to a bull standing at the edge of the herd. “Daddy, that’s the lead bull.”
Xiao Che followed her finger and saw a bull at the very edge. Its glossy black coat gleamed, its horns were large and long, and its build was sturdier than all the others.
That had to be the one.
“Valley Master, shall I give it a try?”
Ye Qi was an expert at taming horses, but this was his first attempt at taming cattle.
Just as Xiao Che prepared to nod, Jin Bao hurriedly waved her hands.
“No! Baby will do it. Baby can make them follow Baby home.”
Xiao Che and Ye Qi exchanged a glance, uncertainty in both their eyes.
Still, Xiao Che trusted Jin Bao. He merely cautioned her, “Daughter, be careful.”
“Don’t worry, Daddy. Baby knows what to do.”
Xiao Che set Jin Bao on the ground, and she walked down the slope.
She stopped not far from the herd.
Scraping aside the snow, she pulled up a handful of withered grass by the roots.
In Jin Bao’s hands, the withered grass gradually turned green, then began growing wildly, longer and longer.
Jin Bao placed the grass beside the lead bull.
At this time of year, finding food was extremely difficult for the herd.
Jin Bao used the tender grass as bait, and the lead bull quickly fell for it.
Moreover, Jin Bao radiated no aggression and possessed an innate affinity with living creatures.
The bull actually lowered its head meekly and ate the green grass Jin Bao offered.
Jin Bao reached out and touched one of its horns. The bull mooed happily.
“Moo-moo, will you come with Baby? Baby will make sure all of you eat your fill. Baby’s home is very warm, and there’s more green grass than you can ever finish.”
The bull seemed to understand her. It actually nodded, slowly turned around, and followed Jin Bao up the slope.
As soon as the lead bull moved, the rest of the herd followed.
Xiao Che and Ye Qi stood on the slope, staring in amazement. Had they not witnessed it themselves, they could scarcely have imagined Jin Bao taming the bull so easily, much less making it so docile.
As Jin Bao climbed the slope, her foot slipped. The lead bull gently caught the back of her collar in its mouth and lifted her.
Jin Bao affectionately hugged its muzzle and rubbed her cheek against it.
“Thank you, moo-moo. Can I ride on your back?”
The bull obediently lowered its head.
With considerable effort, Jin Bao climbed onto its head and stepped onto its horns.
The bull raised its neck, sending Jin Bao onto its back.
Gripping its coat, Jin Bao swung her little feet and sat contentedly astride the bull.
Once the entire herd entered the forest, Xiao Che hurriedly lifted Jin Bao off the bull’s back.
“Daughter, what happened? Why are these cattle as docile as little lambs?”
Xiao Che had prepared tools and planned to join forces with the Shadow Guards to subdue the lead bull. He had braced himself for a fierce battle, yet Jin Bao had simply led it up the slope.
And not just one bull, but the entire herd. It was inconceivable. Had his daughter developed another power that allowed her to communicate with animals?
“Daddy, the moo-moos are very good. They’re only hungry and want somewhere with food all the time. Baby promised to take them home and give them the freshest, tenderest grass every day.”
Xiao Che let out a long breath. So that was it.
It seemed all their preparations had been wasted. Still, resolving the problem without fighting was the best possible outcome.